


centauri

by toxicmew



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alien Culture, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, M/M, Royalty, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxicmew/pseuds/toxicmew
Summary: Yangyang had dreamed of escaping from the heavy gravity of his planet’s obligations for so long, and now Jaemin would be the one to give him the opportunity.
Relationships: Liu Yang Yang/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42
Collections: Challenge #4 — Awaken The World





	centauri

Moving between shafts of moonlight, Yangyang tried his best to regulate his breathing. Fleeing from the guards was something he had grown accustomed to throughout his childhood, a drawback of being one of the most rebellious of the kingdom’s princes. It earned him even more watchful eyes than his siblings, but Yangyang was as determined as he was resourceful.

That’s what had him slipping between darkened alleyways in the dead of night, keeping the hood of his cloak pulled over his head as best as he could. Just one glance from the townsfolk would have them swarming around him just like the last time someone had recognized his royal features. He couldn’t risk something like that, not with what he was about to do.

The twin moons circling his planet shined brightly above him, giving Yangyang enough light so see the gouges in the aged wooden door he approached. Rapping his knuckles against it confidently, Yangyang listened to the dull pattern he tapped out before warily stepping back into the shadow casted from the weathered shingles above his head.

A section of the door pulled away, revealing two gleaming golden eyes that trained on Yangyang instantly, cutting through the darkness without trouble. “Who’s there?”

Yangyang tilted his head slightly, peeking out from under the hood and letting the man catch sight of his own eyes. A slight hitch of breath, a narrowing in those luminescent eyes, and then the door was whirling open with a hum of technology no one would expect this far into the slums.

“Get in here.”

Yangyang obeyed immediately, feeling a sliver of tension relax in his shoulders as the man slammed the door shut behind him. Yangyang was busy listening to the advanced locks reengaging themselves when the man was lunging his way, clawed hands digging into Yangyang’s upper arms and dragging him into a firm chest.

“What the _fuck_ ,” Jaemin hissed, his golden eyes wavering over Yangyang’s features as he tugged the hood from over his head. “Yangyang, you were supposed to be here when Proxima set.”

Yangyang thought about his planet’s third star, and the dim red mural it twisted the sky into. It set later than the main two stars that gave his planet life, descending into the horizon with a vivid flash of ruby light long after their twin moons rose into the sky.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” Yangyang murmured, tucking his face into the warm skin of Jaemin’s neck so that he could inhale his scent. Jaemin’s species always ran far hotter than Yangyang’s, an adaption born from their singular, cooling sun that left their planet with a dim illumination. Living on Yangyang’s planet wasn’t something Jaemin could comfortably do, not when his slit pupils ached in the light of three suns any time Jaemin ventured outside without a protective visor over his eyes.

There were other drawbacks the Zalian experienced, things that Yangyang had learned through the years they had been acquainted with one another and other facts that he had only learned once their relationship had grown deeper. They were a culmination of the reasons Yangyang had fled from the palace that very night, along with a carefully cradled dream that Yangyang had nurtured since he was a small child venturing past his planet’s atmosphere for the first time.

Pressing his nose against the crook of Jaemin’s jaw for a long moment, Yangyang pulled back as he felt Jaemin’s chest vibrate with a pleased rumble that always had Yangyang smiling smugly. “The guards were more vigilant tonight, so it took extra time to escape from them.”

Jaemin’s golden eyes narrowed, gleaming in the low light of the room. “Are you sure you weren’t caught?”

Yangyang shook his head, pursing his bottom lip out in a pout that instantly drew Jaemin’s gaze. “No, I’m sure. That’s what took me so long, actually. I led them in a chase throughout the city before even thinking about heading here.”

“And you retraced your path?” Jaemin checked, his hands moving up to rub carefully over Yangyang’s arms where he had gripped him before, “Made sure to lead them through the slums a few times?”

Yangyang nodded his head. “Father made sure we were as trained as our knights are, so don’t worry. I know how to leave a false trail.”

“That is one perk of your birthright.” Jaemin murmured, leaning forward to press his lips against Yangyang’s forehead and smiling at the way his cheeks flushed lavender in response. “You didn’t have to learn that skill in the moment.”

Yangyang frowned at the reminder of how harsh Jaemin’s life had been. Jaemin was a Zalien born in a destitute clan, tasked with fighting for the basic right to live from the moment he could walk on his own. He always dismissed Yangyang’s worry whenever he spoke of it, citing cultural differences that always left Yangyang yearning to understand.

His people weren’t like those on Zalez, after all. They relied on community and their own intelligence to advance as a species, moving on from the time when they would fight one another for status or resources and instead focusing on uniting their planet against other people in the universe.

Zalez was such an anomaly of a planet because its people _thrived_ when it came to fighting one another. They relied on their instincts and competition with one another to drive them to heights that left other civilizations reeling. Because unlike other planets they had not been steadily striving towards a goal of traversing the known universe for an innumerable number of years.

No, Zalians had only turned towards space travel when another species had landed on their planet. Because as a species they strove to be the _best_ \- the best fighter, the best leader, the best creator. Then their technology outstripped the competition over the last century with such a staggering speed that every other planet now considered them a threat when before the Zalians had been dubbed uncivilized at best.

Yangyang had been a witness to Zalian intelligence first hand every time he confided any problem he faced to Jaemin. Jaemin always found a solution Yangyang had never even thought of, somehow calculating solutions and probabilities in moments that would have taken Yangyang weeks. It had started years ago, back when Yangyang had met a newly arrived traveler that kept his identity as hidden as Yangyang had. A Zalian and a prince, finding each other in a rundown pub in the slums, listening to one another lament about their own personal problems. Jaemin had walked away from that meeting with no knowledge of who he had spoken to, but Yangyang had returned to the palace with solutions to problems that would have taken him weeks to figure out instead of the scant few hours Jaemin had taken.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jaemin murmured against Yangyang’s ear, cool lips touching fleetingly to the sharp points of Yangyang’s ear.

“Yes,” Yangyang assured him, forcing himself to ignore the pleased shiver moving down his spine or the way it had his tail bristling under his cloak. “You know how long I’ve wanted this.”

Jaemin hummed, pulling back with a gentle smile that bared teeth sharper than Yangyang’s own fangs. “You can still have second thoughts.”

Yangyang thought for a moment of the family he would be leaving behind. His father, who he never saw out of professional meetings. His brother, Sicheng, who had led and protected him from their father’s disapproving gaze. His sister, Yuqi, who he had last seen with angry tears in her eyes as she was shipped off to marry a prince from one of the neighboring planets in their solar system. Yangyang knew she was less angry now, finding peace with the engagement to Yukhei, who had so far shown himself to be kind and respectful. The luck she had found with her spouse didn’t erase the fact that Yangyang knew what awaited him in his future, now that he was of a suitable marriage age.

His father only needed one heir, after all, and Sicheng was all he could ever ask for.

“I’m certain.” Yangyang told Jaemin, thinking of the chains his role as a prince casted upon him. It was a heavy burden, one he had never asked for. He had dreamed of escaping it for so long, wishing to depart from the heavy gravity of his planet’s obligations. He had looked out at the sky every night, thinking of the inky blackness that stretched out beyond his planet’s atmosphere that he had only ever managed to experience once in his limited years of life.

Then he had met Jaemin, and his dream was far closer to his grasp than he had ever dared to hope for.

“Whenever you’re ready, then.” Jaemin murmured, bending his neck slightly so that he could rub his chin over Yangyang’s shoulder and the side of his neck. Yangyang slid his arms around Jaemin’s waist, keeping him pulled close and tilting his head to the side to accept the scenting he had grown so accustomed to.

His sense of smell was nowhere near what Jaemin’s was, but he was more than willing to allow Jaemin to stake his claim. He was only ever able to catch a fleeting whiff of the crisp scent, something that was so unlike anything Yangyang had ever experienced. Jaemin told him it was similar to the harsh winters on Zalez, when snow would scream across plateaus and bury any hunters that underestimated the power of their planet.

It was unthinkable weather for someone like Yangyang, whose planet was always balmy at best unless one were to venture to the northernmost reaches. He accepted the comparison as fact though, and reveled in it any time he was able to catch the scent.

“Tonight would be our best chance.” Yangyang sighed, letting his eyelids drift shut as he felt Jaemin’s sharp teeth against the dip of his shoulder. He hadn’t yet told Jaemin about how sacred such an area was to his people, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the Zalian already knew. Not when he had been living on Yangyang’s planet for the past three sun cycles. “And yet I want to spend it alone with you.”

Jaemin let out a low laugh, finally pulling back from Yangyang’s grasp and stepping towards the door that led to his bedroom. “We’ll be alone for the foreseeable future, so long as this doesn’t turn out to be a disaster. Have a bit of patience, my prince.”

Yangyang felt his cheeks warm for the second time that night, following after the Zalian with an acquiescing grumble. Stepping into Jaemin’s bedroom was a familiar motion, but finding the room basically empty certainly wasn’t. It was barren of all the personal effects Yangyang had grown used to, his possessions already packed away except for the protective cloak Jaemin was pulling over his shoulders. Yangyang watched the way the dark material hid the inky blackness of his hair. It was a shame, really, considering such a color was so different than the lightness Yangyang was always surrounded by. His own hair was a stunning white that his mother had shared, the tips of it dyed violet in a fit of pique after Yangyang had argued with his father. It was the same shade as his eyes, the color that gave away his royal blood no matter where he ventured on the planet.

Yangyang hoped he would be able to escape that recognition the same moment he escaped his planet’s gravitation.

“You have everything?” Jaemin questioned, glancing over his shoulder to catch sight of Yangyang hovering in the doorway.

Yangyang nodded his head, thinking back to the sealed letter he had left hidden in his bedroom at the palace. It wouldn’t be read for a long while, not until the seal he had placed upon it expired in two weeks. He was sure by then that they would be far out of the solar system, lost to any knights that his father sent after Yangyang’s trail.

“Time to go then.” Jaemin murmured, pulling on a shoulder bag that had been resting on the messy bed. Yangyang wouldn’t miss the worn mattress that always left his back aching despite how satisfied Jaemin had made him the night before. He wouldn’t miss anything within the house Jaemin resided in, not when he had the one he shared those memories with beside him.

“Lead the way.” Yangyang told him, smiling into the kiss Jaemin pressed against his mouth before leading him towards the back door to the house.

The coming hours were stressful, but Yangyang was prepared.

They had been planning this for over a year, with Yangyang creating and securing the means for them to escape. It was helped by the fact that Jaemin already owned a ship of his own, even if it was in such desperate need of repairs that it had left Jaemin stranded on the planet until he was able to pay for it.

Yangyang had never seen it in person, not wanting to risk the chance of one of his father’s knights connecting it to him. Now that it was finally time to leave, Yangyang tried his best not to stop and gape at the sight of the gleaming red exterior of the ship as Jaemin led him through the crowded air docks that were still swarming with people despite the late hour.

It was far smaller than the only other ship he had been on, one of the royal ships that housed a small fleet of people that had been required for the trip his father had taken. Yangyang and his siblings had only been included because they were to meet the royalty of one of the nearest planets, a group which had included Yuqi's future husband. They hadn’t known it at the time, not when it was over a decade ago now, but it had been the spark that had ignited Yangyang’s wanderlust.

“It’s not much,” Jaemin told him when they were safely locked inside the ship, patting at the wall beside him as he led Yangyang down a short hallway towards the bridge, “There’s only the one bedroom and the kitchen is tiny as fuck, but it works. I usually land whenever I get claustrophobic, but you should think of it as home until we get out of Centauri.”

“It’s a lot larger than I expected.” Yangyang admitted, stepping out into the wider room of the bridge that hosted a mapping table in the center of the room. He noticed a couch bolted along one wall, while the other hosted the piloting station. The main chair was located in the center, looking up out into the bustling air docks with various monitoring sensors already displayed on the wide screen. There were another two chairs ahead of it, closer to the dock and outfitted with the same weaponry triggers that Yangyang had noted along the sides of the pilot chair.

“It started out as a Zalian racing ship, actually.” Jaemin revealed, tapping his nail against the chair’s arm with a quiet click of his nail. They were dulled now, a stark difference to the claws Yangyang knew he could extend when distressed. He could still feel the bruises that would form on his upper arms, though he didn’t blame Jaemin for them. Not when Yangyang had been as late as he was, with the stressful risk of discovery beating down on them both.

“Really?” Yangyang questioned, dismissing his thoughts for now. They were already halfway towards the goal, after all. He shouldn’t begin to fret over their chances now. “Shouldn’t it be even smaller, then?”

Jaemin tilted his head slightly, letting out a low hum as he dropped into the pilot’s chair and began fiddling with the controls. “Yes and no. There are certainly smaller designs, but this was meant for cross-planetary marathons before I got a hold of it. But with your helpful donations, I’ve improved it even more.”

Yangyang’s eyebrows rose. “What’s it meant for now?”

“Royal transport, of course.” Jaemin responded, glancing over his shoulder with a smile that had Yangyang’s tail twitching in anticipation. “A perfect steed for a prince.”

Yangyang snorted, moving over to the chair so that he could lean over Jaemin, staring down at the smug look pulling at his lips. “Is that right?”

“Designed it specifically with you in mind.” Jaemin assured him, still smiling as Yangyang leaned close enough to press their lips together. “Do you deem it worthy?”

“Get us off of this planet.” Yangyang told him, his mouth moving fleetingly over Jaemin’s as he spoke. “Then we’ll talk.”

Jaemin leaned forward for one last kiss before turning his gaze towards the central interface. “As my prince commands.”

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twt](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


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